Eyes are the windows to the soul. Before we feel the driving pleasure of BMW, we mostly understand it through its appearance, and angel eye headlights are a classic BMW element. Over the past 104 years, BMW headlights have already derived various variants. , from classic halogen headlights to xenon headlights, to revolutionary LED headlights and innovative laser headlights, each generation is a classic.
Halogen headlights
——Still used today
Speaking of halogen headlights, older friends are familiar with them. This traditional headlight that uses tungsten filament to burn and emit light has been used in car lights for decades. The disadvantage is that its lifespan is short (depending on the use). Frequency), it will need to be replaced in four or five years, but the yellowing lights also tell the tone of old fashion. An old BMW with halogen headlights still looks handsome today.
But if halogen headlights are paired with a BMW currently on sale, it feels a bit strange. We know that many things when buying a car in many countries are optional. For example, the new 1 Series entry-level models sold have halogen headlights. However, all BMWs sold in China, except for the lowest version of the 2 Series station wagon, have LED headlights.
Xenon lamp (HID)
——Is it the first car equipped with xenon lights in the world?
Regarding xenon lamps, BMW is once again at the forefront of the world. The first mass-produced car in the world to use xenon lamps was the BMW second-generation 7 Series (E32) in 1991. Due to the high cost of xenon lamps at the time, Therefore, it is more used in high-end cars. The classic four-round light design has accompanied the first generation of Bimmer for a long time.
The invention of xenon lamps replaced halogen lamps. It can improve functionality through subtle chemical reactions, such as longer life, higher brightness, and stronger durability than halogen lamps. The emergence of xenon lamps set off a large wave of modifications that year. Xenon lamps glowing with white and blue light are a dazzling sight in the street.
After xenon lamps were widely used in various mass-produced cars, it didn’t take many years for LED headlights to appear again. This is also the mainstream headlight widely used by BMW. With its durability and lower energy consumption, LED With the advent of lights, BMW also gave up xenon headlights.
There are also many types of LED headlights
——Adaptive? Follow-up steering? High beam control?
Although BMW currently uses LED headlights extensively, the differences between models are still quite large. For example, some headlights do not light up on the inside but only light on the outside, and some headlights also have high-beam control...you get it all. Clear the difference? The LED headlights of BMWs on sale are roughly divided into: ordinary LED headlights, adaptive LED headlights. For example, the BMW 4 Series and 525Li use ordinary LED headlights, which are designed with double round daytime running lights and have lenses, but the turn signals are traditional light sources.
525Li LED headlights
At present, BMW has widely adopted the integrated high and low beam design, but on some models (such as 525Li), only the outer lights are equipped, so the inner lights become decorations and will not light up.
4 Series LED headlights, the inner lights do not light up
The other type - adaptive LED headlights (including automatic high beam control), is also called LED follow-up control headlights on the configuration list of the 5 Series, 7 Series, and X6. For most cars, the lights What says BMW Adaptive LED on the eyebrow is the LED adaptive headlights.
This kind of headlight usually has an automatic high-beam control function, which can automatically switch high/low beam according to road conditions, and there will also be an additional start button on the turn signal lever.
5 Series adaptive LED headlights (low beam on)
Since most BMWs equipped with adaptive LED headlights use two integrated high and low beam designs, when the car lights are turned on, both the inside and outside will be lit. When the high beam is turned on, the lower half will also light up at the same time.
5 Series adaptive LED headlights (high beam on)
It is worth mentioning that it does not mean that headlights with follow-up control function are adaptive headlights. For example, the 3 series sold in China does not come with automatic high-beam control function as standard (all series must have it as an option).
If some models that are equipped with adaptive LED headlights as standard offer laser headlights as an option (including domestic and overseas models), then the words "BMW LED" will be printed on the headlights, and the word "Adaptive" will be omitted.
Mid-term facelift of new 7 Series LED adaptive headlights
In comparison, ordinary LED headlights are not that powerful in terms of momentum, but this is also a legacy of history. In the past, the E-chassis BMW only had the steering auxiliary light function, and the inner lights would light up.
E90 3 series headlights
I almost missed an important role - the new BMW Z4. Although TA also uses adaptive LED headlights, as the only BMW car starting with Z, the design is naturally unique. In fact, just like the special Z4 The BMW looks like a rebellious boy in adolescence, using new headlights with an upper and lower structure to express another sense of beauty.
Laser Light
——BMW headlights reach another peak in appearance
The era of halogen lamps and xenon lamps is long gone. With the birth of more and more G-chassis BMWs, the future will also be dominated by laser headlights. The i8, which was launched 9 years ago, was the first mass-produced model in the world equipped with laser headlights. Now, flagship models such as the 7 Series and X7 have taken over this trend and taken laser headlights a step further.
Laser headlights have a maximum irradiation distance of 600m, higher brightness, longer life, lower energy consumption, faster response speed, etc. You can recall that the halogen headlights in the past needed to be replaced every few years. There are cases where the light is slow to light up, but on laser headlights, the light comes on completely and quickly almost as soon as the switch is pressed.
From a design point of view, BMW's kidney grille has become larger and larger in the past two years, leaving designers with increasingly tight space to play with the front face of the car. However, because the design of the laser headlights itself can shrink the light group, use A smaller space achieves stronger lighting, so we see that although the X7 has a huge grille occupying the front face, it can still use slender laser headlights to echo its design.
BMW odd series headlights vs even series headlights
Which one do you like more?
People familiar with BMW know that BMW's odd-numbered car series and even-numbered car series have completely different styles and designs. The odd-numbered series is more stable and in line with more people's preferences, while the even-numbered series has more innovations and more beauty. , just like the X family of even-numbered car series are called SAC, and the X family of odd-numbered car series are called SAV.
Let’s take a look at it all at once and choose your favorite headlight:
1 Series (F40) vs 2 Series (F23)
3 Series (G20) vs 4 Series (F32)
5 Series (G31) vs 6 Series (F13)
7 Series (G12) vs 8 Series (G16)
X1 (F49) vs X2 (F39)
X3 (G01) vs X5 (G05) vs X7 (G07)
Classic brands naturally have heritage and innovation, over the past hundred years, the double kidney grille, from large to small and then larger, headlights from four round halogen lamps to angel eyes xenon lamps / LED headlights and then laser headlights, as if remembering BMW's first production turbo car 2002 turbo, confidently reversed their names on the front of the car, reminding all the vehicles in the way of the front.
And so it is with BMW's angel-eye headlamps, which no matter how they change, are sure to make you recognise their name - BMW - just by the corner of your rear-view mirror.